Dave is approaching one of those legendary ‘ad men’ statuses, perhaps. The tales he recalls and weaves on his blogs entertain, educate and provide decades of insight into the complex business of advertising, marketing and client relations. I wouldn’t be surprised if in 20 years time he’ll be recalled amongst the Ogilvys and Ardens of this world.

In a recent article, he talks about how you should sell the client what they want to hear, as opposed to telling them what to do. At least with regards to winning pitches.

This ties in a little with an article I wrote a while back on designing with empathy. My point is that although we, as design/marketing/advertising professionals, think we know best as this is our business. We don’t. Not all the time.

Jimi Hendrix (I believe) once said “Knowledge speaks, Wisdom listens”.

There’s the key.

Listening.

Jon Steel’s brilliant book Perfect Pitch opens with a chapter on presentation crimes; a fundamental overview of mistakes made when pitching or presenting. In this chapter he looks at how so many agencies, even the top dogs, sometimes fail to understand the needs of the audience.

The objective is not to impress clients with your intelligence, to make them feel stupid or belittle their business strategies.

The aim of the game is to get inside their heads and prove that you can provide them with what they need, with what they want.

This requires 3 things above all else.

The ability to listen. The ability to empathise. The ability to communicate your ideas effectively.

Personally, if you can’t do the above, you’re in the wrong business.

From Perfect Pitch:

Your every word, your every action, will pass through the filter of their [the client] experience, expectations, prejudices, hopes and fears. It’s thus not what you say that is important. It’s how they will receive it. And how they will process it.

We consider ourselves a creative agency. We get a real buzz out of coming up with ideas and crafting infectious visuals. And we have short attention spans.

Clients don’t always care about creative, or new, or original.

Sometimes they want safety, or affordability, speed or just want to look like the competition.

They don’t care what we like or what we want to do.

But it’s our job to care what they want.

Otherwise we don’t get paid. And that’s no fun for anyone.

Yep, that just about sums it up. Everyone knows that your company logo encompasses everything you stand for, your past, present and future, your ethos and vision. That’s why it’s so essential that your logo commands as much real estate as possible on your website and every facet of print advertising you generate.

Unfortunately this pretty much sums up what many people still consider as ‘a brand’. For those of us working in the creative industries, whether it be advertising, logo design, graphic design, online and especially those specialising in branding; this frustrating notion plagues us on a regular basis. I don’t need to even bother linking to the ‘Make the logo bigger’ sites, videos and memes that have floated around the web for years – we’ve all seen them, we’re all aware of the issue.

Branding, however, can be difficult to define. Explaining to clients that their brand is far more than a logo, colour scheme and slogan can be daunting and a trifle difficult, not because the concept itself is that hard to understand, but because the misconception has been drilled in for years. Although I’ve personally only encountered a few instances where I’ve had to struggle to convince clients that their logo does not need to dominate half the browser window, I tremble with fear at the thought of the day I’ll have to stand in front of a boardroom of ignorant corporate bigwigs and explain why their logo doesn’t need to be enlarged further.

Defining a ‘brand’

I’d love to craft a beautiful definition of what a brand is, but I’ve already been beaten to it by, among many other great minds, Eric Karjaluouto of ideasonideas. In his new book, Speak Human (which is proving to be a fascinating read by the way), he effectively addresses the question of what a brand is and how immensely important a solid, focused brand is to businesses.

I think what sums it up for me is the idea that “a brand is all aspects of the organisation; it’s the body, mind, spirit, character, sounds, smells, and feelings we have for them”.

It is the complete experience.

It may indeed seem that the term ‘brand’ is then a catch-all for anything to do with your company; a loose term thrown around odds and ends in some attempt to classify their relevance to the business. It couldn’t be further from this.

For example, when you’re dealing with your phone network provider – every interaction you have with them forms an imprint on your mind of who they are. Their logo, TV adverts, billboards, radio ads, magazine spreads and pricing schemes are only a tiny portion of the equation. What about every time you visit their website, log in to your account to check your statement, every email, SMS and print correspondence, their customer support when you phone up. Do they go out of their way to provide an enjoyable experience – do you feel like you’re appreciated as a customer. Do they listen to you?

The experience – your audience is part of your brand

Every possible channel through which you communicate with a company or even individual provides you with a impression of their brand experience. And in these days of mass social, connected lifestyles, it can take only one poor experience, one ruffled customer and word can spread across the web in a matter of minutes – “you suck”.

There’s absolutely no way to combat this. You can’t, you’d be a fool to try. You can’t put a ‘spin’ on negative news and feedback, you can’t cover it up – you have to embrace it and use such feedback to improve your product – improve your customer’s experience.

We’re moving very rapidly into an age where companies can no longer talk at their customers, but must engage in a dialogue with them. In fact, we’re not moving there – we’re already here, and we’ve been talking about this for quite a while now. The massive implementation of social media and networking tools on a near constant basis means that your customers are very probably talking about you whether you like it or not. Word-of-mouth is the new(old) marketing, people are talking and people are listening.

So it’s your job as business to ensure that your product is so brilliant that people want to talk about it and it’s your job as a designer, advertiser, marketer etc to ensure that the part of the brand experience you’re crafting for your clients, whether it be their website, mobile app, TV adverts, brochures, customer services, product design and development etc is equally brilliant and compelling; because it is indeed part of that product, part of the experience, part of that brand. So try not to screw it up!

How do you percieve a brand?

I could rant on for ages, but unfortunately I have work to do. I think Eric sums up what a brand is nicely with the following analogy:

“My perception of the Coca-Cola brand isn’t limited to a wordmark, Pantone colour, or ad campaign. It’s also not their tagline, the crisp “snap” upon cracking a can open, the bubbly carbonated dance on my tongue, or the caramel aftertaste. It’s all of these things and more. It’s an idea, a belief, and a feeling. It is organic and transforms daily. It is a part of our individual personal histories whether we like it or not.”

Agree, disagree? Feel free to discuss below!

This isn’t another waffling rant about clients getting board with social media – it looks at the entire process of how creative digital agencies work with clients and their clients’ clients to develop irresistable, functional experiences, and what skills and structures companies need to face up to the undoubted challenges the rapidly changing communications landscape will bring.

Further reading:

• In The Mode – Dom’s blog
• Twitter – @domrodwell
• North ‘Rule of Thirds‘ event

“I find a lot of students beginning to resent the computer as too powerful to use without thinking. They now describe it the same way; they say, “Before I start to do anything, I make notes and sketches and draw because otherwise the computer dominates everything I do”.”

Although I believe he’s more likely referring to graphic design as opposed to web interfaces, it’s an important point to consider. Personally I never open Photoshop before scrawling away, pencil on paper. It’s a faster medium on which to lay my ideas and visions as they appear in my mind, without the distractions of colour, typography, design trends and the concern of “How it will work – Flash, AJAX? Scroll right, fade in? Pop-up or slide down?”. It’s just my ideas, the pencil and the paper.

I’ve never been able to draw in the slightest. It’s a flaw I’ve always been ashamed of. I tell people I’m a designer but can barely draw a cartoon dog. Thus I never used to touch physical drawing tools – I’d hop straight into Fireworks or Photoshop and practically will the design into existence. It took me quite a while, too long really, to realise the ignorant error of this approach. As powerful as computer-based design tools are, they do indeed seem to impose a certain level of conformity, structure and precision that’s simply not natural

On another tangent – does computer design software make us lazy? I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve pursued designs in my head in Photoshop, but stumbled upon a particular brush set, font or shape that ‘does the job’, and as opposed to pursuing the vision in mind, I’ve simply settled for ‘nice’, but second best, because it was handed to me on a plate by the click of a mouse.

As per usual I may sound like I’m exaggerating the issue, but it’s certainly something worth considering. Do you feel that your designs, whether they be website layouts, application interfaces, banners and posters, branding etc. are in anyway influenced not just by experience, design understanding, trends and client briefs;  but by the software you use?

For good experience design to work it has to infuse every element of the business. The website, being the primary UI platform, has to be usable, friendly, easy, fast and fun. The importance of this shouldn’t be overlooked. People are busy, we don’t have time to learn new complicated systems all the time. Convenience is king!

But what other points of interaction does the consumer have with a business? When making a sale, either online, over the phone or in person – the service should be exceptional in every way. Too difficult? Why should it be? Aftersales is just as important, if not more important than the actual sales process itself. Reminder and confirmation emails must be smart, personal and inviting. If someone ever rings up or emails customer service the response should be as rapid as possible and personal. Especially with a company starting out small, this shouldn’t be difficult. In fact, it should be mantra.

What quality is the quality of your product, and your products packaging? How quick is the delivery time? Is your customer excited when they receive your product in the mail?

Consider vitually any Apple product. The experience of going into the Apple store, browsing the alluring array of technology on open display, talking with intelligent, enthusastic sales staff, making the transaction (and burning that massive hole in your wallet), walking out of the shop with a lovely Apple bag that draws attention from other shoppers, getting home and slowly unboxing the product is as much an experience in itself as the product is. It’s part of the reason Apple get to charge 10x more than the competition, and yet why people remain loyal to them.

Experiences that market themselves

Graze (graze.com) is a great example of a business model built around the user experience. Personally, I believe the procuct they sale is very much overpriced. But so are Apple products, fast cars, Bang & Olufson speakers and anything with ‘Louis Vuitton‘ on it.

But the Graze site is fantastically usable and fluid, so much so that it’s a pleasure. Messages are personalised. You have the option to completely configure what food items you love, like, don’t mind trying and never want to receive. You get a lovely email the day before your box is due to arrive. The box itself is of a high quality, is relatively eco-friendly and sports the Graze branding. The packaging inside is well done. The food sent is fresh and tasty. They also supply a napkin!

Within every box you get a nice card informing you exactly what’s in your selection and 3 vouchers to give to people for a free trial. You also get £1 off a box for each person you recommend, or you can donate it to some rainforest charity (yay!).

A case study business model. Graze has done almost no advertising whatsoever. Almost every single new customer has been by word-of-mouth marketing because of a remarkable product, a fantastic user experience and a great incentive to spread the word.

The consumers voice

One bad experience, just one pissed off customer that just so happens (or maybe not) to be a blogger or socialite with reach can potentially turn hundreds of people away from your business. On the web every consumer is a producer. Everyone has a megaphone.

Thus it’s essential to remain consistantly great. Listen to what your consumers have to say. Emails should be received and responded to. If a customer has had a bad experience and tries to contact you about it – don’t ignore them. Reply immediately, apologise and offer them a refund or future discount or whatever seems relevant. Doing so may have just turned an angry customer into a happy one that goes and tells others about your generosity.

Don’t shrug

If that all seems to difficult, you may as well throw the towl in now. Because there’s a 100 other companies, freelancers and individuals, charities and organisations that are more than happy to give it a go. And sure as hell if they do right by it you’ll be out of the rat race.

Something to think about, I guess.

Regular readers may have noticed that Redswish has taken a slight turn in topic style over the past few months. This is largely because it’s a one-man mission and I tend to blog about what I’m interested in or learning about at the time. Recently I’ve been focusing a lot on new marketing, building up more personal and effective relationships with clients, the demise of mass media and commoditisation, the evolution of experience design and authenticity and the psychology behind how we, as marketers and advertisers can influence and connect with  people and craft stories that spread.

Hence the reason it’s been a while since a design post, which as a web design blog I truly feel I owe you. But I must admit there’s been a wealth of great design articles blanketing the web at the moment so feel free to hit up Smashing Magazine, Web Designer Depot etc and you’ll find lots of great material. BUT NOT RIGHT NOW! Because I have other stuff to sell.

This article may not seem beautifully crafted and may come across as thought spilled onto paper (or a computer screen). Well, that’s exactly what it is. I want to hear what people think about this, I’m merely dipping my toes in the vast lake of this subject and I’m totally cool with holding hands!

Advertising is dead

Advertising will never die. But it sure as hell is transforming massively. And we’ve known this for a long time, but are still slow to respond. Investing stacks of cash in big, bold, flashy, in-your-face ads isn’t enough anymore. Breaking through the noise is too difficult. How often do you notice the Google AdWords or daft banner ads on a site? Most certainly less and less as we subconsciously train ourselves to tune out the distractions. I’m not saying billboards, TV, radio etc are completely useless, but yeah unless you’ve got a silly marketing budget and creative license to bang your head against a brick wall, then yeah.. go home.

Creating ideas that spread

It’s the way forward folks. Viral is still in it’s infancy. In old marketing the marketers jump in at the end and try to bridge the gap between product and consumer, now flip it upside down. Authenticity is essential. Great products and services that people talk about is what will drive you forwards. Your customers are your marketers.

Following the herd

Another element in the spectrum I want to look at is that of social influence. This is a huge factor in the psychology of marketing and when harnessed properly, and respectfully, can provide us with power to ‘nudge’ people in a better direction, based on a concept called Libertarian Paternalism proposed in the book Nudge by Thaler & Sunstein.

Social influences can easily be broken down into 2 categories:

• Information – the simple passing on of relevant information that may or may not influence our opinions.
• Peer pressure – often subconscious, but can be more targeted, more personal and can in certain cases be extremely effective – although quite often for negative purposes.

Peer pressure may conjure up ideas of teenagers forced into smoking, drinking or sex. But it really stems to all walks of life, in even the slightest of situations. Quite often it’s subconscious or easily dismissed, but the truth is that a massive part of everything we do, every day is influenced by others. A few examples off the top of my head:

• In the office: “Anybody fancy a brew?” – did you really want a brew before that question was asked? “Well, if everyone else is…”
• People often read the same newspapers, support the same political parties, football teams, listen to the same music, wear similar clothes, can even look the same as their peers.
• When eating together, there’s more likelihood you’ll finish your food if your peers do, even if you’re full.
• People smile when people on screen smile, even when there’s nothing funny. Yawns are contagious.
• Everyone faces the same way in a lift.
• Do you ever read on the train in the morning even when you can’t be bothered, simply because everyone else is?

These examples may not apply to everyone but there’s certainly some basis of fact in them. Decades of scientific research supports it, seriously.

Conforming

The fact is most people are either conscious about what people think of them, or even ignorant as to what others really think. The 2 sides of the see-saw are labeled with the clever terms collective conservatism and pluralistic ignorance.

• Collective conservatism refers to when groups stick to established patterns or practices, afraid to challenge the status-quo or other people’s perceptions of them. Or perhaps in some cases there’s simply no better alternative. Examples may include Google users, Playstation gamers, smokers, coffee drinkers, heavy-metal enthusiasts etc.
• Pluralistic ignorance, on the other hand, refers to an ignorance about what other people really think. Even when people hate doing something, they maintain it because they believe it’s correct, not realising that others disagree or have trended differently. In a marketing sense this most likely lends itself to people stuck to trends that have gone out of fashion, but in some extreme cases it can relate to politics and has been linked with the cause of Soviet Socialism and Nazism… sheesh!

Marketing to groups of this nature can be nearly impossible. Sometimes being the next, or the new, or the improved isn’t merely good enough. Challenging group perceptions can be a serious task, one that was once dominated by high-budget advertising. But new media and marketing provides us with infinitely more channels through which to communicate with people and help spread the word, build and nurture conversations that flow from person to person.

Where once marketers had to collide head-on and try desperately to force messages across with the hope that enough people would listen – we now have the ability to align ourselves with customers and engage on a more personal level with people, not demographics and statistics and names in a database.

Harnessing the power of influence

Marketing starts as soon as that idea pops into your head. Through internal stages of selling an idea or product to management and colleagues, through testing, development and launch. More open work processes are becomming more popular – this confirms authenticity and builds trust.

Make a great product. Make it for people, not for profit.

Once it’s out there, get people talking. Find out what people really think – social networking is your greatest asset here. Companies like Threadless, thesixtyone, ASOS etc have fantastic relations with people on sites like Twitter and Facebook. Offer customers prizes, offers and discounts and freebies in return for their feedback. Then don’t ignore it! Test and retest – constantly evolve your product, service, approach. Immerse yourself in every element of what you do and constantly consider how you can be providing a better experience.

It’s really not that difficult. iPhone apps can reach millions of downloads in weeks, Youtube videos gather hundreds of thousands of views in days! People rapidly find themselves in niches and soon even tribes. Their influence can spread like wildfire. People tend to follow others on Twitter because they’re interested in their opinions and findings. One person with 500 followers can influence a huge percentage of people and invoke interest in something very quickly.

Sometimes people feel they have to keep up so they don’t feel left out, this is collective conservatism in action. The difference between good and bad marketing depends upon how you adopt the power of social influence. Embracing it and using it to ‘nudge’ people in the right direction, to a solution that mutually benefits everyone is a goal we should be looking to. However abusing it, spamming people, spreading lies instead of authentic stories is not only evil, but is beginning to fail.

People are getting wiser and better at distinguishing truth from bullshit. So it’s simple. Tell the truth and don’t bullshit. There you go, that big sprawling article above led me to that conclusion.

Your views

I really want to know what people think about this. It’s still quite new to me and as a designer I almost feel out of my depth rambling about this. But I think I can learn, and surely many others can, a lot from this.

Voice your opinions below, I’m looking to keep this active for a while.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

As far as I can gather, it worked!

Next time you knock up your CV in Word, really consider whether it will make any difference. The paper bin is only a short distance away. Give potential employers a reason to sit down and indulge you, astound them, show them what you’re really capable of.

More pictures of the Effektive CV/Poster Mailer.

A lot of lay-offs and cut-backs aren’t currently necessary. Companies are protecting themselves, trying to increase cash flow and clamp down on expenditures as we hit more turbulent economic times. It’s understandable, but not always sensible.

We happen to be in the business of digital marketing. We create conversations, we help to establish a postive dialogue about our client’s and their businesses, and we do it well. However when it comes to cutbacks, the marketing budget is often the first to be roped in. What a mistake.

Loosing brand recognition

Recessions are quite possibly the most important time to continue to define and promote your brand. Letting people know that you’re still there, working away, persevering and sustaining your promises and presence to consumers. You stop marketing, you stop advertising yourself and building great conversations about your brand – there’s a chance you may slowly start to fade away. Especially in the fast paced digital world of today – it doesn’t take long for people to forget who you are.

Use times like this in the market to solidly define who you are and continue to build brand recognition and credibility. This will be massively beneficial post-recession and in the long-term, as brand-building is a long-term strategy. Short-term tactics (promotions, ‘credit crunch deals’, making redundancies, cutting back on training etc) may help to ease current cash flow but may possibly be detrimental to your brand identity over the coming years.

But it seems everyone’s cutting back. Consumers are becoming choosier about what they spend their money on, which brands they align themselves with and who gives them a sense of security. However, we’re still a consumer nation. Hiding in the shadows, hoping the recession will shrink away soon will do you no favours. Let people know that you’re here and you mean business. If anything, you should be increasing your marketing budget. Marketing is an investment, not an expense.

Using the recession to your advantage

OK, so everyone else is cutting back. Big chains and established brands are going into administration. They’ve stuck with the status quo to long, they’ve been too scared to make a move that may seem a tad risky. Now’s your time to pownce.

The stronger companies, the clever minds and the well-thought-out marketing strategies will push to the front of the pack, the weaker competitors are going to fall out of the race.

And with everyone else slashing marketing budgets, there’s less noise and clamour to be heard over, making it easier to improve your brand recognition – it’s quite possibly the best time to establish your identity. Be heard.

Don’t throw money at marketing

Although the above is true, it’s not simply a case of allocating more capital to the marketing budget. You need to re-evaluate strategies and your message, make it apply to people today. We’re not in the business of ramming information in people’s faces, we’re in the business of crafting stories, spreading ideas and engaging consumers in interesting, authentic conversations to establish a level of recognition and trust.

Stick with the status quo, get left behind. If you’re prepared to change, prepared to take some risks and make some important choices – you might win.

But is studying necessary? Don’t get me wrong – life is all about learning, but is it essential to take a 4 year chunk out of your life for the benefit of a qualification? The other option is to go straight into work; you will start lower in the food chain but will be earning money instead of spending it, whilst still gaining experience.

Me first

At the time of writing this article I’m 19. I pretty much wasted 2 years at college studying subjects that haven’t seriously contributed to my current career path. Whilst at college I started studying web design in my spare time and balanced a part-time job at a local media company. Shortly after leaving college I left the media company and went traveling for a while, returning home at the end of 2007 to try my hand at freelancing and build up a portfolio.

University was seeming a less enticing proposition now I was earning off my own back. When, after a few months freelancing Manchester based digital agency Flame Digital got in touch looking for a new designer. To cut a long story short – I got the job, am loving it and no longer have any intentions of going to University. I’m think I’m learning far more by working in an environment among other professionals, working on big projects, expanding my skill set every day. I’ve chosen my path, but this isn’t the path for everyone.

Benefits of Studying

Despite my bias, I know that University is great. Most of my friends there are loving it, making plenty of new friends, learning and having fun. From what I can gather, some of the benefits of getting an education:

• Come out with a degree, diploma or some form of universally recognised qualification. Proof of your education, knowledge and probably guaranteed to land you a better role than those without one.
• Meet like-minded people, make new friends and obtain contacts for the future.
• Get away from home – learn some independence and life experience. University is a great excuse to get away from the parents and to start living your own life.
• Provides you with the opportunity to build a portfolio easily.
• More direct support and education. Some people need or desire direction, a helping hand provided by tutors. Reading books and blogs isn’t everyone’s cup of tea!

There’s undoubted benefits to a good education. But how does the other side of the coin fare?

Benefits of going straight to work

Looking at the new media & design industry, straight-to-work generally means getting your foot in the door at an agency at a very low level position, as either an intern, runner or junior and working your way up. It can seem like a more scary and demanding choice originally, but you may reap the rewards in the long term.

• Earning money from day 1.
• Working and interacting with experienced people in your industry.
• Learning by ‘osmosis’. When working in a creative environment you tend to naturally absorb knowledge from the people you work with.
• Get to work on real-life projects, real clients and build up a portfolio of real work.
• 3/4 years ahead of the game. If you work hard, the time you may have spent in University will instead be used to climb your way up the promotional ladder. Chances are you’ll be earning more, have a bigger portfolio and far more ‘real-world’ experience than those fresh out of education.
• Easier to keep up with current trends.
• You get a shiny business card!

All fun stuff.

The downsides?

I wouldn’t claim that either studying or working really demonstrate any major negatives. University costs money – but it’s money you’ll earn back with that handsome degree! It’s an investment. An investment that pays off with good education and a great experience. A downside of going straight to work is that most of your mates disappear to Uni, but everyone has to move on at some point.

What’s right for you

There isn’t really a debate. The choice is down to each individual. Both require a level of independence and a strong head. Both display great rewards and ensure a productive start in life, depending on how much your willing to put in – that is the essential point.

Regardless of which path you choose – you will only benefit from how much you put in. And it’s never too late to try something else, neither option is definite.

A few opinions

It’s the first time I’ve done this, but I decided to turn to Twitter to gather some other opinions from those far more experienced than myself, here’s a taste:

matthewknight:
“Go to Uni, but I’d say it’s as much for the life/social experience as it is for the knowledge. I did theoretical physics.”

supersy:
“self-taught FTW. I did a placement last yr at an agency & found that to be more valuable than my course.”

will_j:
“I guess Uni is useful for learning how to think and work, any practical skills you learn (in tech) will be old when you leave.”

LucPestille:
“Personally uni was a waste – I think for media jobs, it’s about what you can do, not a piece of paper. 16 or 37, don’t care.”

MarkJWeston:
“Be very careful! I’m about to grad – my course has done NOTHING for my web/new media skills. Too techy. Easy to teach yourself but a good degree with good content is well worth it – especially with a high grade! My uni has redesigned their content to be more applicable to current times – uni’s can be a bit slow on changing curriculums etc.”

paulmsmith:
“Uni 4 me was about life lessons than technical ones. Pretty much self-taught, font tags, tables, etc still being taught at unis ”

wiggy5:
“I’m earning more now than anyone I know who went to Uni, also mostly debt free as a result. Experience beats qualifications.”

darrenturpin:
“What you demonstrably do is far more important than what you theoretically know. But I don’t regret my 3 years at Uni at all…”

Thanks to everyone for their comments.

The general opinion seems to be that, particularly for new media/design and development jobs, University can’t keep up and a self-taught approach is better. However, no-one seems to regret their time at University and a high value is placed on qualifications.

I will most likely be looking more into this topic in the future as it’s so widely debated and is growing ever more important in an age where there are so many resources online to teach yourself. Will the education system evolve quickly enough to adopt this? How different will media courses be in 5/10 years time? How will online and self-taught education evolve?

Questions for another day. Thanks for reading x

I recently ordered a book from Amazon. Actually, it wasn’t recently, it was before Christmas but due to popular demand it sold out and I had to wait till late February. No problem. The book came, and with it a voucher for £40 off Virgin Wines online. I’m sure many other people have received this flyer as well. At first, it sounds nothing out of the ordinary.

Instead of simply throwing it in the bin I decided to visit the website.

Step 1 – I’ve visited the website. Fair enough. That doesn’t have to mean anything.

I decided to go through the instructions on the voucher, register, enter the code and voila! My account has been credited with £40.

Step 2 – I’ve signed up, I’m establishing a level of trust and beginning to lower my guard. I’ve been rewarded for this.

I don’t know the first thing about wine. I enjoy it but wouldn’t know a Shiraz from a Chardonnay. So after a swift perusal of the site, I leave and forget about it.

About a week later I received a polite email from ‘Jay’ at Virgin Wines’. It wasn’t pesonal, although it tried to be, but I didn’t mind, there was still some thought there. Jay kindly explained that because I hadn’t yet bought anything, they weren’t doing a good enough job. So he offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse. Plenty of wine, free glases and a fancy bottle opener for only £48. Considering I already have £40 credit to play with – that would mean spending £8 for a lot of wine. Bargain.

Step 3 – Sweetening the deal, offering me more for little in return. I decide this is something worth telling people.

I’ve yet to buy any wine, I may wait till someone’s birthday crops up. But at work today I told 7 people about this episode, and tonight, at the pub, I may decide to tell my mates.

The moral of the story:

The £40 credit is not £40 to Virgin, it’s perhaps £5-£10 at most, before their markup. That may seem like an awful amount of money to waste on one person. But if the people I told at work, and the people I’ve yet to tell, and you reading now decide to investigate a bit and end up buying some wine for yourselves or continue to tell other people… well – that £5 Virgin spent on me may become £50, £100 + profit through other people buying wine through their site thanks to the power of word of mouth marketing.

Now would that money have been better spent on a few clicks of a tacky banner ad, or a stack of throwaway flyers that will be read by practically no-one?

Through the flyer I recieved, Virgin can monitor (to some extent) the impact by how many people have registered on the site and entered the offer code, and how many people have spent that free credit. What about the option to recommend the offer to others? Or for every bottle of wine you buy you receive a free £5 off voucher to send to a friend of choice?